HORNPIPE Definition & Meaning

hornpipe

[ hawrn-pahyp ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an English folk clarinet having one ox horn concealing the reed and another forming the bell.
a lively jiglike dance, originally to music played on a hornpipe, performed usually by one person, and traditionally a favorite of sailors.
a piece of music for or in the style of such a dance.

hornpipe

/ ˈ��ɔː��ˌ�貹ɪ�� /

noun

an obsolete reed instrument with a mouthpiece made of horn
an old British solo dance to a hornpipe accompaniment, traditionally performed by sailors
a piece of music for such a dance

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of hornpipe¹

1350–1400; Middle English. See horn, pipe ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She added that the group’s “wild jigs and reels, impish hornpipes and raucous slides” helped dispel the myth that Irish music was little more than songs like “MacNamara’s Band” and “Danny Boy.”

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As different groupings of dancers come and go, marking the hornpipe music with some maritime motions, rumpling Baroque grace with hip bumps and air kisses, other dancers pass in front or behind.

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“This here is a hornpipe called ‘The Blackbird,’” he explains.

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It also did contemporary jigs, hornpipes, and polkas.

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It attracted fiddlers and flute players who, yes, played Irish reels, jigs, waltzes, and hornpipes, but who also played those Appalachian tunes, old and beautiful like rare apple varieties or wildflowers.

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